Gophers fall flat in the second half

6A FOOTBALL - Gresham is shut out after the first quarter in 28-14 loss to Lincoln

PORTLAND - Gresham held the lead late in the first quarter, but the rains came and washed the Gophers out of the 6A playoffs with a 28-14 loss at Lincoln on Friday afternoon.

The Gophers moved ahead early when Devon Shields hit tight end Spencer Kelley on a long out pattern to put the ball at the 2-yard line. Like they've done most of the season, Gresham handed the ball to junior tailback Devauntae Hoffman to finish the drive with a plunge through the middle.

Lincoln's next possession ended in a hurry, as Gresham got pressure on quarterback Andrew Ellsworth, highlighted on first down when Dillon Fornos pulled him to the turf for a 6-yard loss. Ellsworth was hurried again on a long third-down attempt and his pass went off-target and ended up in the arms of Gresham's Micah Tolai, who returned it 40 yards to put the Gophers back in scoring position...